Some commentators criticize the tracked school system in Germany. I grew up in Germany and believe it works well. BTW, at least in the state of Bavaria, there are three tracks (not two, as mentioned in the article): vocational (Mittelschule), college prep (Gymnasium), and a third track in the middle (Realschule). By contrast, the U.S. system aims to be inclusive, but is so only on paper. For one, teachers don’t have the superhero powers it would take to do justice to a class of students with varying talents and interests, and, maybe as a result, schools and communities have created a number of “track-like” systems to accommodate different students, including AP classes, elite schools (such as the ones in NYC, which are now under fire), private schools, parochial schools, etc. . . . and not the least of all, property-tax based funding for public schools. The large number of choices is not only confusing, it also takes money, know-how, and precious time to research, apply, and, in some cases, move to the vicinity of or commute to these schools. Because the resources needed to navigate the U.S. system are not available to some or even many parents, the reality of the U.S. system is far removed from what the ideal of equality. No system is perfect. But I would argue that the German system, being free, public, and comparatively simple, does a pretty good—despite its tracks.
21
Seems like you haven't seen Japanese school bags!
3
The New York Times always used to publish articles predicting the imminent collapse of the EU. At least once a week. I recall one specific article, from the early 90s, that mocked Scandinavian countries for sending patients to Cuba for brief holidays to recover from the flu. The implication was that any country that did something like that was doomed to fail. There was even once a photograph of a gentleman resting on the beach, with the caption: "The Norwegian government sent this man to Cuba."
I do realize this piece is meant to be somewhat lighthearted, but the rather irresponsible depiction of primary school rules and regulations is not that far off, in its own way, from Nigel Farage's depictions of various EU regulations as some kind of Stalinist oppression. Bear in mind that this is what gave the anti-EU forces their annumition in the Brexit debate.
I happen to live in a neighboring country, where the "rules and regulations" are quite similar. You can get the backpacks for forty or fifty euros, I have no idea where the author got his figures from. The three pairs of shoes: the kids change into slippers inside the school, it's more comfortable, and they don't track in the dirt from outside. They wear special running shoes for gym class, so the surface doesn't get harmed. We also got a list of supplies, but to be honest it was no big deal. The school charges no tuition, the education is good, the teachers are devoted.
15
Different cultures, different traditions. The basic idea is to educate the young while keeping them safe. Hopefully the education stimulates a desire to learn and to do one's best (all any of us can do).
That said, I am of two minds about the European tendency to track children young to university or technical school. On the one hand, I think we Americans do not put enough emphasis on technical training or offer it enough respect. Not everyone is meant for college AND we as a society need the folks whose career path leads elsewhere.
On the other hand, it makes me a bit uneasy when societies make such decisions fairly early (German kids in 4th grade would be 10 or 11 years old, but it is still early in an education career). Some kids are late bloomers and/or become better students as they mature more.
11
@Anne-Marie Hislop
As has been stated numerous times in the comments section, the university/vocational track is anything but final. There is another opportunity in tenth grade to change the track, in either direction, and quite a few do.Then you can complete vocational training, work a few years and then study. All without ending up steeped in debt. Oh, and you usually get paid during your vocational training, a reason why some chose that path voluntarily even though their grades are good enough for the university track.
22
@Anne-Marie Hislop: My son took the vocational track and completed an apprenticeship as an electrician. After working for four years on the job - and getting leadership training as the head of an eight man crew and helping to train apprentices - he first got the baccaleuriate and is now attending engineering school. And the cost of engineernig school: tuition is about $800 a semester.
23
@Anne-Marie Hislop
These days if you are a master of crafts or in the industry chances ar good your wages are better than a lot of university graduates plus making money starts at 16 not 23isch.
If you strive for a higher degree you have always the opportunity to attend evening school or get degrees at your chosen path of work. One could even get advanced degrees paid for by the employer so promotion to a better paid job is possible.
And if stuff gets done around the house the person dooing it has a whole career with intensive training in whatever it is to be done. Theire books are full and they in turn can afford to hire someone else fixing other stuff.
6
“..three pencils of increasing hardness stipulated in the list (H, HB, B).”
Actually, the opposite: H stands for “hard”, B for “black”, as it is the softer lead and therefor creates darker, richer marks. Apparently not all lessons in school are remembered. ;^)
13
As an expat with limited German language skills, I found the start of school for my children very traumatic -- though my children adjusted very happily and very quickly.
It remains a great trauma to me that my daughter went off to first grade without a "Schultüte" -- but nobody had explained this tradition to me. In the last weeks of kindergarten, the children made their own Schultüte cones, which the parents were expected to fill with gifts. I thought it was just a very curious art project.
Another trauma was receiving the endless list of items that each child must bring. It is very specific about size and grade of pencils, coloured pencils, notebooks, and so on. Finally I adopted the strategy of simply handing the list to a store clerk (although Germans were less friendly in those days, so one had to search out the most sympathetic clerk). By third grade, my daughter took over.
German schools are extremely strict. Poor handwriting or any sign of sloppiness is not accepted. My daughter was praised for a particular piece of artwork, but the teacher apologised that she could not give her the top grade because a corner of the page had a small tear.
But both kids thrived and, thanks to the free universities, one now has a Master's in Bioengineering and the other is pursuing his PhD in Physics, both from universities rated among the top 10 in the world -- and neither owes a single penny in student loans.
32
@Eddie how could you possibly miss the Schultüte? It's like missing Christmas.
5
The underfunded US public school system is a crime against humanity. All to line the pockets of the rich. What a crime.
16
“We like the kids to be autonomous,” Ms. Rouilly said. “He’ll find his way to where he is going.”
German teachers also seem to have a dry sense of humor.
Autonomous? Seems more like the "autonomy" of boot camp than school.
Just a reminder that the word school derives from Greek σχολή (scholē), originally meaning "leisure" and also "that in which leisure is employed, i.e. the leisure to learn how to think and eventually do so critically. That is hardly possible when the exact length of your ruler is mandated.
My father-in-law, whom I never met, (Jewish) Polish, but educated in German secondary school, well before WWII, spent a good deal of time teaching his American-born daughter, my wife, a future professor of history, how to correctly erase, a "skill" he picked up in German secondary school. I would not be surprised if this is still done in their system. My wife though has not erased anything for decades.
7
@Joshua Schwartz what an odd comment! What is wrong with asking students to bring a particular size of ruler? I think misty pupils n would like to know whether they need a 10cm ruler or a 20cm one or something else so they’re are not caught out unprepared for particular assignments. And re erasing: perhaps we could all benefit from learning to do things neatly and completely — rather than allow children to scribble and scratch out and present their work any way they please as seems to happen in most US schools. A bit of discipline and standards early on (without stifling creativity) can help to establish good habits for later in life.
15
@LD You think that you can't learn discipline or work habits if your ruler is not "precisely 10-12 centimeters" and plastic.
Do you think standards are lacking if your backpack is not of the 250 Euro variety?
My wife and I together have over 70 years of experience teaching in university.
I have made my share of "odd comments" over many things, but the standardization here does not lead to creativity. It stifles creativity. It buries it.
But then the system described here determines the future of a child after grade 4. The system described here has had great success in other spheres outside of education.
4
Although in my 70s, i still work here in Vienna, and a genuine pleasure is leaving the flat at 7:00 every day, as I take two trams (the 5 and 49) to get to the office. That's when the city's U-bahns, S-bahns, buses and trams are absolutely mobbed with children heading off to school. The really younger ones are often accompanied by parents; one father heading to the French lycée with his son puts him on his lap and reads French comic books to him. Other children hang on to mom's hand for dear life. Most, though, are fully in their element being alone, talking a mile a minute with each other, totally absorbed in their worlds.
And one very nice thing is that in the 15th and 16th districts, there's a complete spectrum of races and ethnicities. Kids chatter away with siblings in Turkish, Arabic, Bosnian, then turn to the kids next to them and babble away in Viennese dialect German.
It is all very loud, very colourful, very cute. If I start late and it hits 8:00, I ride in very empty trams, listening only to the screech of of the metal wheels. Which is why it's then best to wait till 9:00, when the small ones come out for organized field trips, all wearing yellow vests and holding hands.
50
@Ed
A lovely comment. Thank you!
4
The New York Schools Chancellor would have a field day addressing the German school system. Is there a punishment for not bringing to school the required three pencils of increasing hardness stipulated in the list (H, HB, B), or the precisely 10- to 12-centimeter plastic ruler? Certainly this would result in some adverse impact on some demographic. Even worse, allowing students' academic futures largely decided by Grade 4 report cards that send them either to one branch of middle school that tends to lead to a vocational school or to another that paves the way to university? An obvious ploy to foster and maintain segregation and a no no. Have the Germans no finger wagging equivalent to our morally impeccable Mayor and Schools Chancellor to show them the error of their ways?
4
@Edwin, well, yes, kids are recommended at grade 4 (they are between 10 and 11 then) to go either to vocational school or to the one leading to University. However, just because they initially start out in the vocational path, does not mean that they need to remain there. If they excel, they can switch. Also, after they do their vocational training, they can then continue on to University. So, it is not all quite that black and white.
12
@Edwin
No, it doesn't affect the grade on the report card. The teachers have extras for children who don't have/forgot their supplies. You may take a larger ruler, but why would you want to put something so unwieldy into your bookbag when the 10-12 cm one fits into the designated slot in the pencil case?
For children whose parents are experiencing financial hardship, the government either pays or partially pays the school supplies. Not like the U.S where the kids are penalized/ostrasized for not being able to pay for lunch. Here lunch is free for all 1st-6th graders. Let your School Chancellors morally answer that one.
28
@Edwin
I have a german friend who became a mechanic when he left school (he loved cars). Sometime after he completed his apprenticeship he went to university and became a Mechanical Engineer. I met him when was in his early 40s and was then a Pediatrician. Apparently he had realized in the last year of the engineering degree that he had done the wrong degree, and did one years work as a Mechanical Engineer before returning to uni to follow his calling. He really wants to keep babies alive, and loves doing it even when some don't make it.
Maybe the year 4 report card doesn't decide that much.
17
I live in Berlin now, but went to school in the U.S. and am now sending my two children to school here. The shopping list varies from school to school and from teacher to teacher. Ours fit nicely on one page. The brands of the school supplies are at most recommended, not stipulated and nobody has been ostrasized yet or reprimanded because they had a different brand. The children are supposed to leave the books (paid for by the State) in school unless they need them for homework. Lunch is, as of this year, free, as is the after-school-care (called Hort) until 4 p.m..Oh, and school is free, too. If the child needs to stay until 6 p.m., a fee is calculated according to the parents income. School is until 1:40p.m. for my child in the first grade, and 1:35 or 2:20 for my child in the 5th grade. In Berlin the children can choose between the vocational and the university track either during the 4th or the 6th year (starting either in the 5th or 7th grade). All children take the MSA (Mittlerer School Abschluss/10th grade Diploma, minimum school requirement) no matter which school track they decided on. As others have said, there are lots of ways to get an education. Some do the Abitur (university track) and afterwards do vocational training, others do at most the MSA, continue with vocational training and after working a few years start with university.
Definitely a more flexible system than in the U.S..
29
Children are encouraged to be independent going to and from and in school in Germany but most of the real learning is done at home, where parents are charged with going over lengthy home work assignments and really doing much of the teaching. This was, for many years, one reason that so few German mothers worked, as was the very short school day (shorter than most kindergartens) although there are now many after school programs.
7
@kate
How much homework depends on the teacher. When I compare to my school time in NYC, it is similar. My children (going to the 1st and 5th grade in Berlin) are expected to do the homework on their own and at most ask (seldomly) if they didn't understand something. There is after-school-care (Hort) until 6 p.m. if needed, (though children may be picked up anytime after classes are over). For children, starting with the 5th grade, there are community day centers (not affiliated with the school) where they can go after school, get lunch, play and do homework.
9
Loved this article, thanks for sharing. (I was an educator)
10
The system obviously functions Prima.
F3
7
Left out is the independence German primary school children have. They routinely take walk or bike to school, plus take public transportation. In Berlin, you'd see the BVG city buses with young kids going to and from school without their parents.
Also, these youngsters are always on field trips - to view nature or do city sites.
And, somewhat shocking is the lack of "security" at German schools - no armed guards or 'resource officers', no locked gates - an innocence maybe reminiscent to 1950s America -
51
Whatever in the world would we have armed guards for? We don’t have assault weapons and a cultural tradition of mass shootings. Our kids do fire drills, not lockdown drills. We don’t need guards at schools, nor most other places. A sad exception are Jewish schools, synagogues, and cultural centers. Those are guarded by the police.
23
@kc or, simply, germany is more safe for kids. (The schools don't have armed guards before they don't need them.)
7
as we don't sell guns over the counter here, we don't need armed guards either.
10
We did a 3-year stint in Berlin and I'd forgotten about these hugely expensive backpacks, rigid rules and all the shoes - (plus a special pair of 'house shoes' to wear only inside the classroom).
Not to mention the fancy crayons, special pencils, fountain pens - German brand only, no 'cheap' substitutes accepted.
Helicopter parenting in the American sense is strictly verboten, no assisting your child to do anything - at least in the presence of the teacher/drill sergeant - parents get quickly and severely reprimanded. No accompanying your child past the front gates, no breaking the rules! Ordnung! Order!
And, don't even think of packing any non-healthy food in their snackbox! Most severe reprimandations for parents who send their child with pretzels, crackers, anything confectionery any sweets, heaven-forbid soda...
And, don't 'debate' the teacher on anything - as you'll be regretting it for the next 3 years, as they stick with the same class until 4th grade!
20
@kc
So it's O.K. if the Teacher has to deal with 20-30 kids flipping out on their sugar high during class? There is a reason the schools ASK the parents not to put sweets into the lunch box. There are plenty of Helicopter parents in spite of the system. Or let me put it this way, the rules were partially implemented BECAUSE of the Helicopter parents disrupting the school day.
12
@Caro Yes, very admirable - speaks to their low obesity rates - and never do you see overweight children.
2
German kindergardens (preschool) are quite the opposite of unstructured play. What the author saw as unstructured play is a different way of learning. The kindergarden teachers know what is going on and why.
47
1. “They will find their way” is a pretty good policy.
2. A bad one is the segregation at age 10 into three levels of secondary school - which will determine your life.
37
Especially if learning issues are not caught until age 7 or 8. Dyslexics, for example, would likely not be well served in this set-up. I’d like to hear how they accelerate remediation for children with reading disabilities if they aren’t diagnosed until a child is already in 2nd or 3rd grade. (Not that this doesn’t happen in the US, but in a good school district reading issues would be noticed in kindergarten or first grade.)
21
@Dragotin Krapuszinsky
But there is a chance to switch schools again depending on the grades a student achieved. This switch happens after ninth or tenth grade, allowing students from the other two paths to participate in the Oberstufe (upper school) that leads to the Abitur - the diploma that gets the student into a University.
22
@Vegalta#9: and how many actually get to do this? after YEARS in a lower level school...you'd have to make up all the missed class work!!! and get good grades, likely without help or tutoring.
Why isolate kids of 11 from studying college prep material? It cannot harm them, and it might help them.
12
Some thoughts: 1.) in the U.S. we long ago got rid of "vocational programs. EVERYONE was supposed/ expected to go on to College. Now that its been rigged to cost a fortune, literally, (unless you're a celeb who can pay millions to a "fixer) we seriously need to rethink this.
2.) I like that in Germany kids start school at 6 or sometimes 7....here, we seem to pushing actual "school" to earlier and earlier ages. Everyone, parents, educators, etc agree this pressure is wrong, but it continues. WHY?
3.) Kids being allowed/ encouraged to be independent.....sadly, our entire society would have to be reconfigured for that to work here. BTW: in 1960 I was suddenly being driven to and from school, instead of taking the bus.....no explanation given (I was 9)....turns out a man had started raping and killing young girls.....he was eventually caught, but my point is, this behavior isn't anything new.
35
Oklahoma has a heavy emphasis on vocational schools. This is one of the few things we get right.
10
@RLiss I agree. My son did not want to start school at 6, he "flunked" the color and arithmetic tests at his daycare, later he confessed he loved to have another year of "unstructured" play with a Swiss Army Knife, going into the woods, using hammers and powerdrills etc. He had what they called an Adventure Playground and loved it. At 1st grade he took the subway to school for 2 stops, I hated to have to let him go, but now he is adult and tells me that these years of just nature and Lego shaped his imagination. We moved to Hawaii for his 4th grade until graduation from HS and he did not have to experience any security guards and I was glad that we did not have to finish out in Germany because 4th grade is so early when to decide what school to take. But yes, we should try at least to have kindergarten over here more play and Adventure Playgrounds in every neighborhood.
14
@Hulagrrrl
Adventure Playgrounds? In Hawaii???
Ha!
My wife taught on Oahu for ten years. The public schools there are so terrified of being sued by a litigious parent (and there were a LOT of them) that they long ago removed all swings, all merry-go-rounds and slides over six feet high. The elementary students at my wife’s last school weren’t allowed to play tetherball without direct adult supervision. Teachers were assigned tetherball duty. The final straw for my wife was the year the kindergarten teachers implemented the ‘No Running on the Playground’ rule. Seriously.
11
This was a wonderful article that took me back to the first day of school for my daughters 20 years ago. However, your statement that "day care centers and preschools are generally set up to mind, not to teach, German children". is not quite accurate. To an outsider, it may seem that preschools provide nothing more than babysitting services.
All KindergärtnerInnen (pre-school/kindergarten teachers) are trained in child didactics and structure their classes' days with certain goals, though these don't involve teaching the 3Rs (plenty of time to do that in first grade). Good socialization is the goal. So the way the daily structure may involve developing motor skills and concentration (crafts), encouraging a feeling of community through music (singing and playing simple instruments) and learning about the environment (a class walk through the woods).
Of course there is time every day for unstructured play, but to call KindergärtnerInnen "child minders" does them a disservice.
128
@ikapl
It sounds very developmentally appropriate, unlike many preschools and kindergartens in the US.
17
@ikapl Thank you for clarifying this. I couldn't imagine that the originators of Kindergarten had turned the idea upside-down into an unstructured free-play babysitting institution. Trained professionals laying the foundation for structured learning with socialization and other basic skills — that makes so much more sense. As a retired educator, I thank you for correcting the author's disservice.
18
@ikapl I agree the article missed the point of preschool. In European preschools, kids definitely are learning - but not to read or write, which is left to first grade (but once in first grade, kids must master cursive, not just print). However, being able to tie the shoe laces is absolutely expected from a future pupil - and necessary, given the frequent shoe changes. How many American kindergarteners struggle with that? I'm still scratching my head about why my third grader in NYC not only doesn't need indoor shoes but is not supposed to change clothes for gym.
5
Great article!
I'm a NYC teacher and would love to share the list of stuff to buy with my students for comparison and discussion.
Can you share it with us?
Thanks and all the best for the new school year!
23
My list in Berlin contained the following:
- a Ranzen (the school bag pictured in the article): has to have straight, reinforced sides to be able to stand up on its own. NO backpacks allowed.
- a Mäppchen (pencil case): a rectangular case, also with reinforced sides, zippered. The inside has to have an assigned place for every single pen/pencil/eraser/pencil sharpener, even for the ink cartridges for the pen.
- supplies for first grade: 3 pencils in B, HB, and H (they will not use a fountain pen until they can write. The teacher lets you know when your child is ready to transition and will be allowed to bring a pen; ballpoint pens are never allowed), 10 colored pencils, eraser with a red and blue side, wax crayons (usually by Jaxon), pencil sharpener, glue stick (NO liquid glue allowed), child scissors, refillable watercolors (Pelikan recommended) including „Deckweiß“ (a little tube of white paint for mixing pastel colors), 3 paintbrushes, a ruler (12-15 cm; has to fit in the pencil case!).
- paper products: a block of drawing paper (DIN A3 format) and a map for completed artwork, colored binders for each subject. Money for writing paper and notebooks (both lined and construction) will be collected by the teacher who will then buy the appropriate materials and hand them out to the kids (so everyone has the same).
-a lunchbox, water bottle, and gym bag (drawstring).
-clothing: house shoes for the class room, gym slippers, sneakers with laces for outside and inside)
6
@Markymo
I threw the list away after we were done shopping ;-).
But the basics usually are:
Book bag (Ranzen) (as of the 5th grade, the kids use normal bookbags, usually no stiff sides)
2 wide/thick pencils,
thick color pencils covering the basic color spectrum
scissor
glue stick
ruler (10-12 cm, so it fits into the Pencil case)
Pencil case
pencil shapener
eraser
oil crayons (not wax, easier to draw with)(package of 8)
clay (package of 6-8 color sticks)
Drawing Pad (DIN A3)
Artwork Folder (for the DIN A3 drawings)
folders (specific colors for each subject) (5 in the 1st grade, 8 in the 5th grade, STEM university track (one extra subject))
3 brushes, different widths for art class
box of watercolors (usually 12)
plastic cup
old oversize shirt as an apron for art class
Gym bag
Gym shoes
Gym shorts/pants
Gym t-shirt
house shoes/slippers (only for the after-school-care/Hort)
My 5th grader needed some notebooks (slim), but no clay or brushes or water color, I think...
All of the Art material stays in school, The gym bag with contents should be taken home once a week to be washed ;-).
New things are only bought when the 'old' stuff is broken, lost or used up....
That pretty much covers it....
3
When I was teaching and on sabbatical, I spent a couple of months in Germany studying its elementary school system. In my school (and most schools across the USA) children kept their backpacks in a locker or cubbie, but in Germany they were kept right at their seat. The same was true in Italy, by the way. The children sat at tables rather than desks, and all their necessary materials were in their backpacks. While my students used lined notebooks, the German students notebooks looked like graph paper which made it easy for them to keep their columns straight. They didn’t have a two prong program, but three. Students either went on to a university preparatory program, a vocational program, or a technology program. It might not be a perfect way to organize education, but they don’t pretend that everyone is going on to university.
61
I remember my 1st day of school here- a trip to the principle's office to see which classroom I was going to, and then it was done. The only ceremony was a trip to the five-and-dime to get my box of crayons. I wanted the big deluxe box with a built in sharpener, but had to settle for the smaller size- no sense in spoiling me more than I was already. I walked to and from home every day- no apprehension whatsoever. It was so much fun that I can still look back and miss it again. Of course they could have pushed us harder sooner, but decorating the classroom for every holiday was more important. My head was full of colors and shapes long before I had to do any homework. And we had a record player and a reel-to-reel playing music during our "arduous" day. So- I wonder how younger kids are getting along in the nation's (public) schools today? Are we feeding their imaginations and giving them a happy joyful experience?
We should be instilling in them a sense of hope- of a grand and wonderful world with so many things to look forward to.
School in the U.S. wasn't always like this- we built it and molded our children to look for the good in everything, and that each new day would bring more of it. Undoing this marvelous achievement is a crime and must be defended at all costs. To me, it all boils down to 2 things- education, and the environment. We take care of that, and our young ones will be happy and safe. Every species on earth knows how to protect their offspring already.
17
I’ll have what the Germans are having.
My first day of school in Downtown Brooklyn
I had my buss pass stolen.
45
@New World
Don't this little anecdote fool you. Germany is not as safe as all that. Independence for small children on the level advocated in the article is pure idiocy in today's world.
4
@Petras
Germany is pretty safe. School kids walk or take public transport all the time. As early as they start school.
32
@Petras At least in Germany, little kids (and older kids) don't have to worry about being shot dead while in school.
57
What the heck ever happened to school lockers (at least in the U.S.)? I guess it saves on construction/procurement costs to omit them, but I bet we're going to end up with generations of school kids with lumbar disk problems in their futures.
And how in the world is a schoolboy supposed to carry a girl's books home from school (if that is not prohibited nowadays as juvenile chauvinism) when that would mean carrying two mule packs instead of one?
8
@Diogenes elementary school children don't have lockers.
18
@teacherinNC. Well, back in the day, we had built-in cubbyholes either under the seats of our assigned desks or in low-hanging shelves attached to the walls, in which we kept our books and personal items. Those were our "lockers" in elementary school (albeit without actual locks on them).
2
My elementary school had proper lockers with locks on them and everything, but I don’t think you got one until second grade.
I remember the kid who had the locker next to me in third grade left a milk box in this locker for months and then they opened every single one to find where the smell was coming from.
So yeah, some elementary schools do have lockers.
2
My 180 days working in Nienburg (60 km north of Hannover) included seeing the school children biking to school every day on their own. I also loved how German parents let their children play, which is possible because (almost) everyone follows the rules in northern Germany. By the way, the Germans spell their city "Hannover" not "Hanover" which is a British version. An American English speaker would certainly be comfortable with two n's in a row.
34
@Tim Nolen
Many foreign place names are spelled and pronounced totally differently from the native language in many cases. Hanover is no exception. Roma to the English is
Rome and to Swedes it's Rom. Venezia is Venice in
English and Venedig in Swedish. Most countries are guilty of this.
As to the biking to school. It's only a good idea if there are bike lanes and traffic possible for children to navigate. I think you would not suggest sending your
7-year old to school on a bike in Manhattan. Children are let play in North America as they are all over the world. I am European and I would not say that most European countries, Germany included, are more livable for the children than North America is.
4
We are not German, but my daughter got a Schuletutte on her first day of Kindergarten here in California. She started Highschool this year, and we still have the schuletutte.
19
My in-laws were both born in Frankfurt in the 1920s. We have their adorable Zuckertutte photos. My mother in law told me they received one only on one’s true first day of school, either Kindergarten or First Grade. In her day they did not receive one on subsequent first days of school.
3
Before I read beyond the headline, I thought this piece may be about bulletproof backpacks in American schools and preparing to use them in defense of active shooters. Now that's a sad statement about our current concerns in this 'God-blessed' nation. So glad there's still civilization in other parts of the globe.
77
I thought the same
3
In my part of the world, they recommend that the backpack of primary school child should not exceed 10% of his or her weight.
Also, all parents receive $100. for school supplies.
Nobody sends their 6 year old to school with a $250 schoolbag. Nobody.
26
@Skiplusse
As another Canadian I fully agree. Backpacks are playing havoc with young children's unfinished bodies.
And I applaud a variety of backpacks. Let us not fall so over heels in love with German orderliness. There is lots more to life and child rearing than that. And as to the idea of streaming selection after Gr. 4. Whoever thought of this madness. My college teacher husband always commented on the capacity for personal growth especially with 19-21 year old male students.
17
@Petras
What exactly is wrong with vocational school?
8
@Andrew this is less about what might be wrong with vocational school and more about keeping kids' options open for longer. The vocational school track is seen as lesser in Germany because with that diploma, you can't go to university. And the system isn't very upwards permeable - once you're stamped with "vocational track" (and remember, that happens at AGE TEN), it's well nigh impossible to get onto the university track. If this kind of separation has to occur, I'd like for it to happen much later. Say, at the moment you get your MSA. Then some can decide to go on to their university track, and others can go to vocational school.
German school kids as young as 7 report feeling stressed and anxious about their grades and which track they'll get into, and that CANNOT be good. THAT'S the problem.
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We moved to Germany in 1987 and lived there for the next 2 years. We mainstreamed our 6 year old daughter in the German public school system. Unlike the American school system, the length of the school day is much shorter. The start and end time varied each day which was initially confusing. Another difference is that classes are held every other Saturday. My daughter learned to speak and read German. She was not behind in her studies when she returned to the United States. It was a great experience. Thanks for the article it brought back many memories
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I'm glad your daughter had a wonderful experience, but that was a long time ago @Carol - they abolished Saturday school in the '90s. In any case, primary schools have always had a five-day school week. Saturday school had been mandatory only for the academic high schools ("Gymnasien" in German). What hasn't changed is the variable length of the school day, a system that continues to pose a challenge to working parents.
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@Carol: my friends were Americans, but the husband had a high level job at a German company. They sent them to Germany for 3 years when their kids were young.
They told me school lasts until 1PM BUT.....mothers (!) are expected to be at home then, to help and monitor complex homework assignments. They are NOT expected to work while their children are young.
They are also expected to make lunch and snacks and dinner.
The classroom hours from 8AM to 1PM are intensive, with no breaks for "study hall" or "assembly" or other goofing off periods.
So actually German kids have a VERY long day.
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@Concerned Citizen
And not a whole lot of fun....
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As an ex-pat who's lived in Germany for the past 16 years, I have to say that one of my favorite German traditions is, indeed, the Einschulung and the Schultüte. It's a wonderful thing to mark this momentous occasion in a child's life, to give a child the opportunity to be excited about becoming a student and embarking on this important journey in an individual's socialization and development. There are, however, other types of schools in Germany (Montessori, for instance) where a "normal" backpack is preferred and where there is no homework, but that's another story. It's amazing to live in a country where it's safe and children can develop the confidence to be independent and not overly paranoid about threats which for the most part are unwarranted. We live in Berlin, and my kids take the S-Bahn to school on their own, something that would be unthinkable even in smaller, "safe" cities in the U.S. Maybe we feel safer in Germany precisely because not every Hans, Ludwig, or Klaus might be packing a gun or because the public healthcare system actually takes care of the mentally ill. Something to think about.
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@frank
It's good to hear that it really is this safe in Germany.
I grew up in Sweden and live there part time still. I biked to school but it was about 65 years ago. In many small towns kids still do. But lately in the cities there are many reports of theft from small school children. This goes hand in hand with frequent violence against the old.
I hope this sense of peace will last. But to me Europe is changing very fast.
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@frank
When I first moved the Budapest it took me a while to get used to the unaccompanied grade-school kids on the bus going to and from school. But I quickly realized how nice it is to know that these kids are going out in the world unencumbered with the fears American parents have to load their children up with.
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This is a country that, despite its problems assimilating a new wave of immigrants and dealing with a slowing economy, still manages to be at a similar economic level as the U.S., with a typical worker working about 1400 hours a year, enjoying at least 4 weeks of PTO, and not worried about medical bills. And a lot more of their people can speak English than ours can speak German. Maybe we should emulate some aspects of their educational system.
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The American school system did borrow a lot from the German one before WWI.
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@S maltophilia Yes. I don't know whether this is still true, but I remember reading, when my family spent a summer in northern Germany some years ago, that the Germans statistically translated more books from other languages, and bought more books, than any other nation. We were staying in former East Germany where until quite recently the second language of most people had been Russian and few adults spoke English, but th local bookstore in the very small town we were living in had several shelves of American books in translation, as well as a shelf of books in English. People on the trains were always reading, and some of the author names I recognized as being U.S. or British. Sadly, the revere is not true.
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@S maltophilia
Well English is a world language while German is a very small language which is losing ground more and more in
Europe. So why Americans should speak German I don't understand.
Integration of the newly arrived hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers to Germany is not going well. It's not anywhere in Europe.
Germany has a very mixed and confusing medical system that is hardly free. And far less accessible than many in other European countries.
There is a lot of unhappiness among German workers. Wages have been kept very low to help maintain the system, while big auto makers like VW, Audi, BMW and
even MB are making millions on cars that are fraudulently sold as green, while in fact being the great polluters of the world.
It's not a country we should be looking at for help to improve the US. Or Canada which is where I live.
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Very consistent with our Einschulung experience in Hamburg, except the prices cited for bags (Schulranzen) are too high, as is the reference to being “weighed down with homework”. Only now that our daughter is in third grade is she getting any consistent amount of homework.
The system is more focused on learning and independence than drilling facts and memorization, which is just fine by me.
I did love the mention of each kid needing three pairs of shoes - so true. We nearly fainted when swimming classes this year asked kids to bring shower sandals - a fourth pair of shoes!
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In Germany parents of aid are given a special allotment to buy their child the required school bags. In wealthy America some schools begrudge feeding poorer children. Our treating education as a joyless tax expense will eventually catch up with us.
Americans would be much better off if state and federal money not property taxes paid for the nations education. Instead we permit terrible inequality in our schools.
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@GUANNA: Every year, I am solicited to either buy or stock book bags for poor kids, and a long list of supplies to donate. This has been going on for years and years.
I know several teachers. There are AMPLE free supplies for every child -- citizens donate, parents donate, STORES donate tons of free stuff.
But it doesn't help.
WHY? when you get stuff "free", you don't value it. The kids steal or break things, or "lose them" (knowing they'll get new stuff ASAP).....they just don't care.
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Look at the school supplies at the end of the school year. How many notebooks are half full not to be used again, because next year’s teacher will require a new one? How many entries were made in the journal required at the beginning of the year? Were the colored pencils ever used? The amount of waste is unfortunate.
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@Concerned Citizen Assuming you're correct that children getting "free" school supplies from donors instead of from their parents cheerfully destroy them, what should be done?
Should the children in indigent families simply do without school supplies (except a pre-chewed pencil)?
Should they be required to scrub school floors and toilets in order to earn school supplies?
Or should we work diligently to end poverty in the US, for example by halting the export of jobs and requiring a minimum wage that a family can live on?
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Hey kids and moms! Please be sure your new back packs are made of Kevlar. Could save your life.
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A 10-12 centimeter ruler sounds awfully short.
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@Seabiscute Not at all. It fits neatly into the pencil case. :)
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Accurate indeed. This New Yorker has three German-American children. Oh, the schoolbags. Oh, the cones: we got the kind the child designs him or herself. They're gathering dust in my closet. I don't dare throw them away . . .
http://www.thecriticalmom.blogspot.com
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Frankly, this sounds delightful. How unfortunate that here in the States, our children have to worry about bullet proof backpacks and active shooter drills, instead.
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What wonderful traditions. We should import them to America.
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@Lifelong Reader, Except for school rulers of an exact length stopping at 10 or 12 centimeters. In the U.S., parents and companies would probably have figured out a website to satisfy the school supply list, not stressing out at local stores the day before school.
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@JY Also Germans use Amazon, however, it is nice to go shop this stuff with your kids, as they are excited, and it supports the local stores.
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Our little girl is starting school tomorrow here in Milan, at the German school. The Schultüte is filled to the brim, the (pricy) Ranzen packed , the grandparents have arrived , we’re all set. What I love most about this ritual is that it brings back so many memories, like the excitement of finally attending school. It will wear off at some point, but right now we‘re enjoying the magic of new beginnings.
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My son went to school in America but we still have his German schoolbag, which lasted for years. And the idea that every kid should be able to get to school on their own, and that fifth graders can travel for many miles on public transportation is great. But the sorting at the end of fourth grade is another matter entirely, with class and racial background playing much too large a part.
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@kate
I am sure socio-economic background plays a role, in tandrem with a lack of role-models. But as I said in my comment, there are other opportunities to go to university.
Anecdotal evidence: One of my two brothers and myself went to the top-tier school and studied immediately. The younger one went to the middle tier school, did an apprenticeship and then studied.
In my husband's family, both brothers went to the top tier school, one decided to study, the other, after a one year stint decided he would be happier working in the field. So he did an apprenticeship. He is now a "Meister" which allows him to become the technical CEO of a construction company and train other apprentices.
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@kate I agree that system should include switchbacks to catch the late bloomers. On the other hand how many average Americans are prepared for university who will never get there and definitely never finish.
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@Erika I work as a social science copy-editor largely for German academics. I have personally read (and copy-edited) many studies on educational transitions in Germany. Here's what the social science says: 1) Grading in German elementary schools is, at the very least, biased against ethnic minorities; 2) Middle and upper-class parents have figured out how to subtly "game the system" in terms of getting academic-track middle-school recommendations for their kids; 3) While some people who attend lower or intermediate track schools ultimately do manage to progress to higher education, the numbers are unimpressive. The track recommendation received at 10 to 12 doesn't determine absolutely everything about a kid's future, but it does set them on a course that most end up following. In this respect, the system doesn't work and should be reformed.
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I have fond memories of my first day of school in Germany in the 60tees. I also remember the weight of the schoolbag, commonly refered as die Tonne, the ton. Sounds like little has changed.
I was very surprised to see how few books my son used in elementary school in the US. The majority of material consisted of photocopied homework questions to fill in the blanks and very little reference material. I have never figured out how Americans do long division, and thus was unable to help. He assured me that he would be in trouble if he used the German method. (The kid is now in college, no harm done.)
My only critique of the otherwise pretty accurate article is the perpetuation of a stereotype that the deicision to go to university has to be made at age 10. While it is correct that the German system has the 3-tier school system and the first triage is made at age 10, there are many ways to college for Spaetzuender. (Late Bloomers, I guess.)
For ex. a good student can switch up to the next school type, or do an apprenticeship, 3 years, paid by the employer + free school part time), + 2 years work experience which also allows to attend tution-free public universities. There are other pathways including evening programs as well.
Maybe because the apprenticeship may lead to an equally well respected and well-paid carreer, not every student from the Top-tier school chooses to enroll in one of the tution-free universities and instead chooses an apprenticeship.
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@Erika Absolutely agree with your opinion about apprenticeships that exist in German-speaking countries. Learning a trade is a respectable path to earning a living. The German/Austrian/Swiss apprenticeship-journeyman-master path to a career is the envy of many manufacturers in the US. Some German companies operating in places like North and South Carolina have introduced this system for their workers because they were having a hard time finding employees with the skills needed to work in their plants.
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@Erika
There is no question that the three-tier system encourages classism ("guck mal, ein Hauptschüler!") and anxiety (kids as young as seven report anxiety over their grades and which tier they'll end up in; of course this reflects on their parents a lot, but it's also a by-product of the system). Yes, being sorted into tier two or three and not Gymnasium isn't the end of things; yes, you can still go to university through the ways that you mentioned. But is it necessary to separate kids this way, considering the results of classism and anxiety? German schools are trying to be more inclusive now (development of the last 5 or so years) of kids with learning difficulties or disabilities, educating them in the same class as other kids to teach empathy and make them feel included. So why still separate at age 10? Why not have 10 years of integrated teaching for all kids, and then the split?
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@Jana
Sure, I am not saying that separating the kids at age 10 into separate schools is the best strategy. I am just sayinng it does not hurt to the extend the American public is made believe.
Its been quite some time since I left Germany, but in the 70tees, the American Highschool model, Gesamtschule, was quite popular in my state, NRW.
I don't know the statistical outcomes and would be interested to see them.
How wonderful to make the first day of school a celebration with Sunday clothes and a cone full of treats! There is much to admire here.
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Having taught for decades in public high schools, I have seen the sad consequences of excessive parental intervention, particularly by middle and upper middle class parents, who don't want their children ever to be uncomfortable let alone experience failure, but the opposite problem of insufficient parental involvement often from poor or poorly educated parents can be equally harmful to children who need some support and guidance from time to time. Striking a balance between too much and not enough involvement and modifying that balance as the child grows older are what constitutes good parenting. And, of course, each child at various moments in his or her life needs a different amount. Parenting is the hardest job that most of us will undertake, but unfortunately we only realize it after the children have grown up. By the way, no child's academic future should be decided by his or her marks in Grade 4. It's much too early. Their personalities haven't been fully formed by that age, and their goals will change many times before graduate from high school.
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The prices cited in this article for pupils' backpacks in Germany (= Schulranzen) are excessive. supposedly about 250 euros for a standard bag.
This is simply not correct. The prices for "Scout" bags, for example, which is probably the most popular brand, range from about 80 to 215 euros. The most expensive set I could find (which included the backpack, gym bag, pencil set and soft bag for rulers, erasers, etc.) was 224 euros.
Also, the notion that once a family has decided on a model, "a teenager dressed as a fairy descends on them in the store, explaining the many pockets, zippers and features" is absurd. I can only assume that the author was shopping at a very pricey boutique in Berlin!
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@Expat Annie
I was wondering about the price too.
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There is much to admire about the fostering of independence. I live in a 100% sidewalked small town and fewer than 10% of kids walk to school. The buses are empty, everyone being hauled by parents to school.
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@Quickbeam
In NYC while the children may not start out walking to school at age 6, they often are on their own on public transportation by age 10 or at the latest 11. Middle schools give them transit cards and off they go.
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I could read stories like this all day, but I did notice that, in the one photograph, the child's blue backpack was precariously close to falling down. I wonder whether German society considers too much individuality problematic, and does such a school system also nurture the imagination.
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